Sujeong Lee, Suwon-jeong Candidate, Criticizes Choi Kangwook's "Female" Remark

"Protecting the Vulnerable, Including Youth and Women"
"We Must Reform a System That Prioritizes Offenders Over Victims"

Professor Sujeong Lee of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University directly criticized former Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kangwook, whose remarks sparked controversy, saying, "For 25 years, I've heard stories about women 'acting up' in places full of male criminals and swarming with male correctional officers-in other words, the phrase 'acting up' is used to describe females."

As the first high-profile recruit of the People Power Party and having officially announced her candidacy for the Suwon-jeong district in Gyeonggi Province, Professor Lee has set the protection of social minorities such as children, adolescents, and women as her primary goal. She emphasized, "It is meaningful just to show many people and the younger generation how a woman like me makes such desperate efforts to become a leader."

In an interview on December 14 with BBS Radio's "Jeon Youngshin's Morning Journal," Professor Lee addressed the issue of misogynistic remarks, stating, "Please do not use such sexist language," and added, "I cannot understand how people can insult so many women with such absurd words. If you want to criticize others, do so by pointing out exactly what is wrong."

Professor Sujung Lee of the Graduate School of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University is giving a lecture at the "2019 Asia Women Leaders Forum" hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Regarding her motivation to focus on 'protecting the vulnerable,' Professor Lee explained, "In our country's criminal justice system, the primary client is not the victim but the criminal," and continued, "Every human rights lawyer has argued various conclusions in defense of the criminal's rights, but within that, the protection of the victim's right to life or the violation of the victim's human rights has never once been properly addressed."

Referring to the 'Busan roundhouse kick' case, she said, "While the victim was dying, I saw how perfectly the perpetrator's rights were protected under the current criminal justice system. I deeply empathized with the victim's position," and added, "It made me reflect a great deal, and I thought, 'I need to step in myself.' The victim of the roundhouse kick case influenced me in that regard."

On the topic of serious juvenile crime, Professor Lee asserted that a system for punishing parents should be introduced. She explained, "Juveniles are drawn into crime because their rights-which should be protected-are not properly safeguarded," and added, "Simply lowering the age of criminal responsibility is not a solution. We need to examine the reasons why children end up in such situations."

She continued, "They do not suddenly become evil one day. Most grow up in broken or neglected homes and experience abuse first," emphasizing that it is difficult to change the trend without introducing a system that punishes not only the child but also the parents.

Regarding predictions that it will be difficult for a conservative party politician to win in Suwon, Professor Lee said, "No matter how tough people say it is, I am from that neighborhood, and I believe the only way is to persuade the residents," adding, "The reason I want to go to Yeouido is not so much to do politics, but because what I truly want to do is legislate."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.